The Opposite Test
What’s the best way to measure your differentiation strategy? Ask the opposite. If you say you “bring solutions to your customers”, ask “do the others say they bring problems to customers?”. If you say “I create value”, as “do the others say they destroy value”? If it sounds ridiculous and like it won’t be something anyone would do, it’s quite likely you’re not perceived as that different. The fix is simple: Look at what the others say, find the trend, find the gap, and claim it, in your own…
Is it that simple?
Is saying the opposite that simple? As Germans like to say: “Jein” (yes and no). Finding what everybody else is saying and see the trend is simple, but it takes research (time, effort, criteria, pattern-matching…). Saying the opposite to what everybody else is saying is in a certain way “contrarian”, yet the key is not to be “contrarian” for the sake of it. Saying the opposite is finding what’s your perspective. To make a comparison (sorry, “category creation”) in the category, so that you…
No-brainer
If sales are down because your competition is aggressive and price is the main driver, you don’t have a pricing problem, you have a framing problem. Framing who your customers are. Framing how they can get more from you. Framing why they should buy from you instead of the others. Framing what you’re offering. Framing what they’re buying. Because, if price would really be the decisive factor, going lower than your competition by 10 or 100 would make it a no-brainer and you’d be selling more….
The fear of saying No
“If the prospect is not a fit, you just say No.” His face changed. I could see the fear into saying No to a prospect. It was like reading his mind: Him – “Saying No? I’ll be losing business! I can’t say No.” Me – “If you try to get them to yes, to buy from you —even when they can’t afford you— you’ll put energy, resources, effort and hopes into a lost cause. Wouldn’t it be more efficient to focus on the ones who can afford you?” And then it hit him. Hard. The fear was gone (at least for now)…
If you want followers…
… you’re looking at it wrong. Because you’ll treat them as followers. And when they get to be treated like followers, they’ll act like followers. What if you treat them like leaders and help them get there? It’ll change the whole way of seeing each other. They’ll question and be critic. If you want followers… just buy yourself a bot farm. 🙂 If you want to lead, help others lead.
You’re only a leader when you have followers
Some say “The only thing that makes a leader is when they have followers.” Bullshit. Leading and leadership is not (about) having followers. It’s opening the way ahead so that others can lead in their own ways. Leadership is about taking the unopen paths when you’re ahead of others, to risk things so that others can move forward. If you lead the way, others will see and take courage on taking the lead. And that’s the game-changer.
Generosity: a mistake often done
Being generous doesn’t mean doing things for free, but with intent. That’s one thing many, MANY people get mixed up. “If i’m to be generous, i need to do things for free” In business it gets disguised as overservicing, overdelivering, overserving, or underpricing. In the long run it makes your margins to go thinner, and your business not sustainable. If you want to be generous, see and act to what’s in your customers’ best interest. Do it with intent. And do it from the heart. You can be…
Price or Terms?
Which one would you rather negotiate on: Price, or Payment terms?
Compensating
When you’re complying with what your customers asks about price: “a better price”, “a final offer”, “your offer is 20% higher than the others”, “my cousin can do it for less”, you’re giving away your power. And profit. And here’s something else. You’ll try to make up for what you’re giving away, in other things with that client. To which, if they don’t do or argue on, you’ll look for ways to get out of it as quickly as possible. And trying to do that is not in your customer’s best interest,…
The brightside
Here’s the bright side (and takeaways) from these friends-of-the-list about “workifor free”: “Perhaps the 95% didn’t “not show up” but rather found a more respectful use of their time.” Wes Wheless “The people you want to work with never ask you to work for free, and the ones who ask you to work for free are the ones you wouldn’t want to work with.” Genevieve Hayes “The secret isn’t showing up, it’s positioning yourself so that you never end up in the position where you have to compete…